Category Archives: Presenting

Alternative Resources for Flipping Your Lessons

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Scott

As I have learned more about the Flipped Classroom and as I have searched for smart, innovative ways to practice these methods, I’ve been a little disappointed.  I do like the idea that flipped lessons enable teachers to better differentiate their instruction and hone focus on mastering skills, but it seems those who are leading this movement are focusing mostly on science and math to the neglect of the humanities and language arts in particular.  Khan Academy and at The Flipped Class Network, for example, have countless math and science videos but very few that are useful to us in the humanities.  Given this lack of resources for language and lit, I came up with some alternative sources you might consider if you want to try flipping your middle or high school language arts lessons.  Some easily overlooked places you might find these useful videos (often referred to as “vodcasts” … Continue reading →

Posted in Flipped Classroom, Informational Texts, Presenting, Technology Integration | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BBC’s ‘State of Debate’ Game Worth Playing in the Classroom

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Scott

For a while I have been hesitant to write about games in education.  I think it’s the old-school teacher in me.  Or, maybe it’s the stigma attached to electronic games in school based on the common assumption that they present distractions from and not opportunities for meaningful learning.  But recent research suggests otherwise.  In fact, a 2009 MIT study suggests well-designed educational games are valuable tools for developing skills in communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and even innovation.  Unfortunately, many educational games only present rote learning—repetition of addition and subtraction, for example.  But some games are designed to encourage and support critical thinking.  The BBC’s “State of Debate” is such a game.  It is very well-designed, it is interactive, and it encourages students to think critically about persuasive arguments.  Even hardened critics among us will see this one is a game worth playing in school. In the classroom In “State of Debate,” students are … Continue reading →

Posted in Games in Education, Lesson Plans, Presenting, Speaking, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Commit to Trying New Methods on Digital Learning Day

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Scott

If you have been teaching for a long time, making changes can be difficult and even intimidating. Sometimes it’s easier to close the door to the classroom and do what you have always done instead of worrying about whatever next “big thing” is coming along. Things, after all, are always changing and maybe it’s impossible to keep up with it all. But today technology is significantly impacting how our students engage and process information more than ever. Consider how in the last decade our chalkboards have been replaced with LCD projectors and smart boards. Grade books are accessible by students and parents online 24/7, graphing calculators are now available as downloadable apps on smart phones, and students communicate in a dozen different ways using as many different modes of technology from email and texting to Facebook, chat, and Skype. Textbooks, magazines, novels and newspapers are no longer limited to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesson Plans, Presenting, Technology Integration | 2 Comments

Animoto: Another Great Tool for Adding Music and Video to Your Lit Plans

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Scott

Summer has finally arrived here in Maine.  I hope many of you, like me, have finished up the school year and can now take some time to recuperate.  Looking forward to a productive summer, I am planning a series of blog posts focusing on the Common Core State Standards Initiative.  My plan is to post regular articles with a simple goal: each blog post will take one specific CCSS outcome and demonstrate a resource and/or method for utilizing technology to meet that standard.  Essentially, I envision a CCSS curriculum map for Language Arts, based completely on technology integration.  I’m hoping to begin this series the first or second week of July. Meanwhile, I have found a website I think will be fun to use with students in the fall…Animoto.  Animoto is a basic online tool that allows you to create “video slideshows” or montages with music and text.  The basic … Continue reading →

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Bubble This and Dabble That…Free Brainstorming Tools Online

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Scott

I’ve been working away at my last regular class for my M.A. in English at NAU…just the capstone class after this and I’ll have my Master’s degree! This week, I had to put together an extensive brainstorm map of ideas related to a specific problem and it got me thinking about and searching for good online tools for brainstorming and mind mapping. I found a few I like that I think you might also want to try. The one I used for my class is called BubbleUs, and if you set up an account, it is free. I like that it is simple to get started, colorful, and easy to export when you’re done by saving / exporting an image of your project. If you want something a little more complex with extra features such as the ability to add pictures and drawings to your brainstorm, check out Dabbleboard, where … Continue reading →

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Free Audio and Video Files of Famous Speeches at American Rhetoric.com

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Scott

With so much literature, grammar, writing, and vocabulary to cover in our curriculum these days, it’s easy to overlook the importance of oral language in our classrooms.  Consider also how reluctant many students already are about “getting up in front of the class,” and it’s easy to put off teaching about speeches and oral presentations.   But with evermore rapid advancements of technology and the internet, listening and speaking skills are becoming increasingly important.  The authors of the Common Core State Standards put it this way: “New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. The Internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and writing can be made, requiring that students be ready to use these modalities nearly simultaneously.” Looking for tools useful in focusing on verbal … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Audio, Classical Literature, Lesson Plans, Listening, Presenting, Speaking, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prezi.com Makes Presentations Fun

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Scott

As an English teacher, I am always using metaphors or other imagery to explain the concepts I want students to grasp.  For example, when telling students about building a good paragraph or essay, it can be helpful to use the analogy of a good essay being like a sandwich or a hamburger with bread slices as the introduction and conclusion and the meat and other stuff as the body of the essay.  If you like using visuals when you teach (does anyone teach without visuals?!?), I have found a great online application called Prezi that you should try.  Prezi.com is a fun and effective tool for creating presentations that are media rich.  Sure you can use the old fashioned Power Points but Prezis are way more fun and engaging and they can be manipulated to create animation. The best part about designing with Prezi is that you don’t have to … Continue reading →

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